ADCC is just seven weeks from today, and knowing there is an established link between effective stand up grappling and succeeding at the event, we wanted to continue profiling some of Wrestling's greatest athletes.

Our subject at hand: Jordan Burroughs.

For those who don’t know, Burroughs is the greatest wrestler of this generation in the United States of America. He came straight out of college to win his first World Championship in 2011 and never looked back. 

One year later, in 2012, Jordan Burroughs became an Olympic Champion. He's also won world titles in 2013 and 2015, and 2017.  Impressed? You absolutely should be.

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The Burroughs Double: In a League Of Its Own

Anyone who's watched a single JB match knows this man has perhaps the single greatest double-leg attack of anyone wrestling today.  It's not just raw athleticism and explosivity, but footwork, head position, and brutal feints that make this technique so effective for Burroughs.

And though we are focusing on the double leg in this piece, he's also able to pick, mid-shot, if he wants to go single or double. 

A key example of all these components working together comes from the finals of the 2019 Kolov tournament against Uzbekistan Wrestler Bekzod Abdurakhmonov. 

Burroughs attacks with a half shot, waiting until Bekzond comes up, and fires off another fully committed takedown attempt. You can see in the gif that the explosive attack forces both men off the mats, awarding Burroughs a ring out point and giving him the decisive lead in the match.

Learn Double Leg Fundamentals with Jordan Burroughs

The Sprint & Mat Control

It's been rumored that an opposing wrestler's coach once said that 'it's nearly better to be down by 1 or 2 points against Burroughs in the last 30 seconds than it is to be ahead', referring to Burroughs' god-tier ability to turn up the pace (sprint) and find a way to score when it matters most  – and that doesn't always mean getting a complete takedown.

A crucial distinction from wrestling and submission grappler rules is that ring out points awarded for forcing your opponent out of the 'zone', and Burroughs is a master at collecting them.

Burroughs incredible pace puts elite wrestler Kyle Dake on the backfoot; 1 Point for the Stepout was awarded to JB.

A breakdown of ten Jordan Boroughs matches conducted our friends at FloWrestling found that it is almost an even split between the number of times scored by takedowns versus step-outs. A takedown is worth twice as much, but JB scored 17 takedowns and forced 16 step-outs.

It was further argued that 

"Few wrestlers use the zone as well as Burrooughs, from all aspects. He scores stepouts when he can't finish takedowns. He avoid stepouts when the match is close. He tries to keep takedowns to a limit and give up stepouts instead. He'll get guys moving on the edge and finish when they're trying to fight the stepout. It's a huge part of his game."  - Wrestling Nomad,  (FloWrestling)

There are certainly other nuances to Jordan Burroughs games that this introductory piece fails to mention, but even this cursory glance should inspire anyone in the grappling arts to strap on a pair of wrestling shows and work their shots. 

5 Must Watch Burroughs Videos

My Name Is Jordan - Feature Documentary

Jordan Burroughs vs Sohsuke Takatani 2017 Beat the Streets

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Jordan Burroughs Workout Before Final X

Jordan Burroughs- Vs Essadollah Akbari – 2013 FILA World Championships

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Jordan Burroughs vs Frank Chamizo - 2019 Dan Kolav

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